Green to Gold
by AJarOfDirt
Summary: It has been five years, but Master Samwise still has Frodo in his memories.


**Green to Gold**

Characters © J. R. R. Tolkien. The title denoted by the '(1)' symbol comes directly from the manuscript of _The Return of the King_.

xxx xxx xxx

Golden leaves from a massive tree in the centre of an open field littered the pasture despite it not being in the autumn season. Fowl gaily nestled in the tall, soft grass, its vocalisations vibrant and cheerful. Albeit years of wear, the grasslands were still in the pink and had even enhanced over the course of time. In the distance, lush hill-peaks rolled over slopes steep and shallow as well as a river of clear water; among these was the tallest hill.

Bag End, it was called and it was a hobbit-hole; named after that of its first tenants – the Bagginses – and above a road that was called Bagshot Row, it was one of the grandest and most luscious of hobbit architecture. With its hefty interior that expanded more than just what the outside could tell, as well as its well-cut gardens and the great oak that hung over the hill, it was most definitely ostentatious. Many folk used to come under the impression that the storerooms of the hole were used to store mounds of gold and treasure, aiding in creating the home's current reputation. However, the family that resided in it was not so much of a pompous one, rather, the leader and his family were some of the humblest and nicest of hobbits you could ever meet.

The man of the hill had the name of Gamgee. The Bagginses that once occupied Bag End had long left the Shire, and thus their dwelling was allocated to their close family friend. The Gamgees have well-used their departed friend's gift for five years, but the place was surprisingly pristine and as it was with its previous owner.

For Samwise was a man of wholeness. He was determined to keep his friend Frodo's spirit with him whenever in his home. Samwise's wife, Rosie Cotton-Gamgee, also had support for her husband's deeds.

In his closet, Frodo's clothing was still draped neatly on hangers, Sam not willing to remove them. Wherever Frodo had kept his kitchen utensils as well as cutlery and silverware, that was where they remained after each meal. The pantries were neatly lined with food, but kept in a certain order mimicking that of Master Baggins' and the furniture arrangement was predictably unchanged. It had been five years since Frodo's departing over the Grey Havens, over the Sundering Seas, to Valinor – a place where he could no longer return to Middle-earth. However, Sam felt he necessitated Frodo's presence in the house by keeping his items where they were or at least doing a good bit of copying. It had so far made Frodo's leave much easier to accept.

Rosie had not carped of Sam's peculiarity, neither had their five-year-old daughter, Elanor, who was a gift in a child. Her big eyes were Sam's, and she had inherited her mother's thick curly brown hair. Her feet were hairy like the usual hobbit and her smile radiant as the flower she was named after. Watching her grow up year after year before his eyes, Sam remembered the moment in which he perplexedly requested a name for his daughter from Frodo only a short while before the latter's leave. It was Frodo who suggested a flower name, and furthermore, the name of one in the grass of Lorien.

One day before Elanor's fifth birthday, Sam had sat at his – previously Frodo's – study desk and retrieved a leather-bound tome from the bottom drawer of the table. It had been under lock and key for awhile, him not wanting to have a glance at it, for it reminded him significantly of Frodo. The words in them were Frodo's, as well as Uncle Bilbo's, both of them great heroes of Middle-earth, both suffering for everybody else.

Sam had felt the grief overwhelm him that day as he gazed at the red book of manuscript and opened it to its flyleaf, where there were the many titles that were crossed out numerous times to make way for better ones. It read:

_My Diary. My Unexpected Journey. There and Back Again. And  
What Happened After.  
Adventures of Five Hobbits. The Tale of the Great Ring, compiled by  
Bilbo Baggins from his own observations and the accounts of his friends.  
What we did in the War of the Ring. _

All that was crossed out, and changed to:

**THE DOWNFALL**  
**OF THE**  
**LORD OF THE RINGS**  
**AND THE**  
**RETURN OF THE KING**

_(as seen by the Little People; being the memoirs of Bilbo and_  
_Frodo of the Shire, supplemented by the accounts of their friends_  
_and the learning of the Wise.)_

_Together with extracts from Books of Lore translated by Bilbo_  
_in Rivendell.(1)_

Sam had then drawn his quill out of a middle drawer, wiping his eyes dry before dipping the pen into his inkwell, dabbing off the excess and positioning his hands over a fresh page he had turned to, preparing to write. His hands trembled at the very slightest, but he had managed to write for hours on end, reminiscing his days but also writing as though the book a journal, jotting every point he could think of down...

_Mr Frodo, you've gone far away and there's not much left for me to do. I can no longer garden your fields because they are mine now. We can no longer laugh together over ale at the Green Dragon, or go on adventures with Merry and Pippin. I know you've said before that I've got to be whole, I cannot always be cut in two, one half with you, one half with Rosie. I understand that. I'm very happy with Rosie and with Elanor and with the many children to come and with this house, but I still feel there's something more for me out there. One day, I will find out what it is. It may not seem like much right now, but I'll find something out._

_I plan on running for Mayor of the Shire next year, isn't that wonderful? You've said so too, Mr Frodo, that I can be the Mayor for as long as I desire and I believe you. I've also thought of wonderful names for future children, won't you like to hear it? My first boy will be called Frodo and soon there will be a Merry and Pippin Gamgee too, named after my best hobbit lads. Won't that be wonderful? Although, I am sure Merry and Pippin will have trouble when I try to call out to them._

_I won't lie and tell you I don't miss you, because I do. I miss working for you and miss having talks with you at the Dragon, but my time will come. We will be reunited once again, I am sure of it._

xxx

In the seventh year of the Fourth Age of Middle-earth, a year after Sam penned the account in the Red Book of Westmarch, he did indeed rise as Mayor of the Shire. He continued in his post for seven consecutive years, serving an entire term as Mayor. Samwise and Rosie also had, in total, thirteen hobbit children and he did name them Frodo, Merry and Pippin, but there was also Rose, Goldilocks, Hamfast, Primrose, Bilbo, Ruby, Robin and Tolman.

Following Rosie's passing in the sixty-second year of the Fourth Age, Sam passed the Red Book of Westmarch to his first daughter, Elanor the Fair, and was last seen by her leaving the Shire. Traditional folklore continues to this day of his departure of Middle-earth forever, to be reunited with his friend and companion Frodo Baggins.


End file.
